The purpose of a mission statement is to describe why an entity exists, what its overall goal is, what product or service it provides, and includes a description of the primary customers or market that it wishes to serve.
Staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic has provided the opportunity for a moment of self-reflection as we try to swerve to meet the new normal. Part of this process for me included drafting a new Mission Statement for my life coaching business, An Imperfectly Perfect Life (www.animperfectlyperfectlife.com), which I shared in last month’s blog post:
“My mission is to provide each client the ability to see opportunity. It is my job to ask the questions that will help my client to define her desired goals, while providing her clarity to let go of messages that no longer serve her. Through the process of coaching, obstacles that seem insurmountable and have stopped her from achieving her dreams are recognized, processed, and gently redefined. I value client trust, confidentiality, and I let go of any personal agenda, recognizing that each client’s life journey is entirely her own, not mine to define. My clients are women of all races, religions, educational levels, economic levels, political alignment, and sexual orientation. Through the tools received through life coaching, my client finds confidence and understanding of who she is which allows her to become a more productive member of her community. The goal of coaching is to help each client reach a place of total wellbeing, finding the ultimate goal in life, happiness”.
The experience of writing a Mission Statement for my business felt so profound, that it prompted me to write a mission statement for my personal life. Similarly to writing my business mission statement, I began the process by asking myself three questions:
(1) What transformation do I want to see in myself?
(2) What transformation do I hope to inspire in others?
(3) What transformation do I want to see in the world? In other words, what mark do I want to leave on the world?
Writing a personal mission statement was a raw exercise for me. I felt vulnerable, especially knowing that I intended to publicly share my mission statement. Knowing that I would share my personal mission statement reminded me to let go of ego, the fear of judgment. I moved from the fear of judgment to the feeling of compassion for myself. I reached an understanding – my mission statement represents the way I wish to show up the world, it is an intention that carries no judgment.
After drafting the mission statement, I printed it out. I studied it over the course of a few days making sure that my newly drafted mission statement felt authentic. As I looked at it, I asked myself a scaling question:
“On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not important at all – and 10 being most important – How important is my stated mission to me? The answer, a 10.”
Confirming the importance of my mission statement, required me to take an honest look at myself, and accept that I often struggle to meet what I declared as incredibly important. While my business mission statement sits prominently in my office, the place where I sit when speaking to clients – my personal mission statement now sits on my bed stand, a place that allows me to see the statement at both the beginning and the end of each day.
“I am a forever student of life, placed on this earth to learn from every experience and every person that I come across. I strive to be a knowledgeable and a kind human being. I will not waste an opportunity to be a friend and I am grateful for every connection that comes my way. I want to be remembered for being fair, smart, kind, funny, and compassionate – moving through the world with grace and dignity. I strive to be a leader at home and in my community, to make the world a better place by lifting up one person at a time.”
